


How Long Are We Going to Dance For?

by HummusandPeeta



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, bbrae - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28411314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HummusandPeeta/pseuds/HummusandPeeta
Summary: Beast Boy notices that Raven isn't acting like herself. Can he help her? Their conversation ends up taking an interesting turn. (Based on the Teen Titans Cartoon). (BBRae)
Relationships: Garfield Logan/Raven
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	How Long Are We Going to Dance For?

**Author's Note:**

> (Story copied from my Fanfiction account). This is my first fanfiction for the Teen Titans universe, so I apologize in advance if my characters are a bit OOC. This story is dedicated to my little sister! Beast Boy and Raven have been her all-time favorite ship for the past 10+ years and now she’s pulled me over to the dark side. ;) Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer : I don’t own Teen Titans or any other characters from the DC Universe.

Despite still being branded as the  _ Teen Titans _ by news outlets and fans, none of the members could actually be qualified as teenagers anymore. Since returning from their mission in Tokyo a couple of years prior, little changes started to become apparent and showed how the members were not only growing up but maturing. Robin had recently shed his past alias and now fought as Nightwing. His teammates, who respected his decision but still had a bit of trouble adjusting to the new name, had seen this change as a sign that he had grown up and was no longer Batman’s kid sidekick.

With time and maturity, the group had also learned that it was important to be more open with one another. After they realised that they didn’t know that much about each other’s pasts, the five members decided that it would be important to be honest about the good and the bad. They considered each other not only teammates, but also friends and most importantly, family. 

Nothing happened instantaneously, but over time, they started opening up to one another. First came the baby steps. They started wearing clothes other than their uniforms and they started calling each other by their birth names when in the safety of their Tower. To outsiders, it wouldn’t seem like much, but these kinds of changes reminded them that they were more than just superheroes. 

Then one night, as they sat in the common room of the Tower, taking refuge from the storm that was raging outside, the Titans took the next step in opening up. They had just returned from a particularly hard fight with Cinderblock and were all pretty cold after spending so much time in the rain. Cyborg had offered to make them all some hot apple cider. When Starfire had commented on how delicious the drink was, Cyborg had thanked her but confessed he couldn’t take all the credit. It had been his late mother’s recipe. A sudden silence had filled the room before Raven had softly asked him to tell them about her. The four heroes had listened attentively as Cyborg had told them about his mother and a particular memory he cherished of the first time he had made some hot apple cider with his mom. 

And so began a tradition; whenever the Titans returned from a hard mission or one of them was having a bad day, they made each other a warm beverage and offered the chance to talk about the things that they had been denying, hiding or running from. These talks were a sort of safe space and it brought them closer together. 

Even now in their early twenties and despite leading busy lives, the Titans still cherished this tradition and made time for each other when they needed it. Things were changing quickly for the Titans. Starfire and Nightwing had been steadily dating since their return from Tokyo and it was easy for all to see that they complimented and balanced each other well. Despite Nightwing’s obsession with hiding the fact that they were dating, in case his love for Starfire could ever be used against him in a battle, everyone knew that he was bound to propose soon. 

Cyborg and Beast Boy even had a running bet for when the proposal was going to happen. Cyborg was convinced he would propose on Starfire’s birthday whereas Beast Boy thought it was going to happen on Christmas Day. Raven had been asked to join the bet and she had initially refused, telling them it was childish. But a couple of weeks after, she had agreed to join and bet them 100$ that they were both wrong and that Nightwing would propose on his next weekend away to Gotham with Starfire. The boys had agreed, certain that the empath was wrong. Little did they know that Nightwing had confided in her one night and asked Raven for her opinion about his plan to propose to Starfire after bringing her to visit his parent’s grave for the first time. Sure Raven was playing dirty, but she was making a good profit out of it. Plus, the boys deserved it for all the times they had pranked her.

* * *

On this particular weekend, the Titans Tower was surprisingly quiet. Cyborg was away on a solo mission, he was helping a lot of the new Titan recruits build their towers and set up their security systems. Starfire had accompanied Nightwing to Gotham as he visited some of his old friends and relatives, or so she thought. That left Raven and Beast Boy to defend Jump City if anything should happen. But it looked like evil had decided to take the weekend off. 

Beast Boy had spent the day playing video games and had only journeyed out of the Tower to go get himself a pizza later that Saturday evening. He had ventured by Raven’s room to ask her if she wanted to join him but she had declined before he could even finish his sentence. Beast Boy didn’t think much of it. He was used to her needing her alone time and he respected that. Over the years, Beast Boy and Raven had matured and learned to deal with their differences, but to his disappointment, they hadn’t gotten any closer as friends. 

Unable to concentrate on his video game anymore, the changeling decided to make his way to the common room in order to watch a movie on the big screen. It was the weekend after all, there was bound to be something interesting to watch! As the doors to the common room slid open, Beast Boy was surprised to see Raven sitting on the couch. He thought for sure she wasn’t going to leave her room at all this weekend.

The purple haired girl was sitting on the couch staring absentmindedly at the TV, despite it being turned off. Beast Boy wondered to himself if she was meditating but the fact that she wasn’t chanting her usual mantra gave him the sneaking suspicion she wasn’t. 

‘’Hey Rae,’’ he said tentatively as he made his way over to the couch. ‘’Whatcha up to?’’

Either Beast Boy had seriously pissed her off or she hadn’t heard him since she didn’t react at all to his voice or his movements throughout the room.

‘’Rae?’’ he asked again, concern starting to grow. He was now standing near her, deciding whether or not he should sit down next to her.

She suddenly noticed his presence and responded by simply looking up to meet his gaze. Beast Boy couldn’t help but notice that her eyes and face looked like she had been crying recently, something Raven rarely did.

‘’What?’’ she asked him, confused as to what her teammate had asked her. She honestly hadn’t heard him enter the room.

‘’Are you okay?’’ Beast Boy said, finally sitting down on the couch beside her. She hadn’t bit his head off yet, so he took it as a sign that it was a safe move. 

She remained quiet, unable to answer him. Did she want to be honest with him or simply get rid of him so she could return to her thoughts.

Beast Boy took her silence as a sign that she wasn’t up to talking. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he had to respect her wishes. But there was still something he could do to help. ‘’How about I get you a cup of your favorite tea and then I’ll get out of your hair,’’ he said, standing back up from the couch and quickly making his way to the kitchen. 

‘’You don’t have to Beast Boy.’’ Raven was quick to respond this time.

‘’It’s not a problem Rae.’’ Beast Boy said, flashing her a toothy grin. Raven decided not to fight him on this and let him make her a cup of tea. He was always so kind with her, no matter what she did.

It didn’t take long for the water to boil and Beast Boy had already prepared her favorite mug and added a bag of herbal tea to it. This wasn’t his first time making a warm beverage for his friend. As soon as he was finished pouring the hot water into the mug he made his way back to the couch and placed the drink on the little table they had in front of it. 

‘’I’ll leave you alone now.’’ Beast Boy told her. ‘’I’ll be in my room if something comes up.’’ He turned to leave but stopped in his tracks when he felt Raven gently grab his wrist.

‘’Garfield...’’ she said ever so quietly. ‘’Stay. Please.’’ Raven wasn’t sure what made her stop him. She hadn’t felt like talking earlier, she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. But Beast Boy had a certain effect on her and she felt that out of everyone on the team, he was probably best suited to help her.

‘’Of course Raven, I’ll stay,’’ he replied gently, sitting back down on the couch beside her. Her hand was still holding on to his wrist, as if she was scared he would get up and bolt at any second. But Garfield knew she was sincere, she had used his birth name after all. ‘’Is everything okay?’’

‘’I don’t know.’’ Raven told him honestly. ‘’I’m feeling a lot of emotions lately and I’m having a hard time controlling them.’’ She finally let go of his wrist and placed both her hands on her thighs instead, trying to ground herself. Just talking about her emotions made them threaten to bubble backup. 

‘’Do you know why?’’ he asked, generally concerned. Raven had a complicated relationship with her emotions. He noticed her tense up at his question. He immediately knew that she must know why, but she was either too afraid to admit it or it was something really bad. ‘’Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out,’’ he said, trying to reassure the empath. 

She knew he was sincere and that he truly cared about her, he had proven himself countless times over the years. But old habits die hard! She had always had a hard time being honest and vulnerable with others. But those exact actions were what got her in this situation. Garfield deserved to know the truth. She took a deep breath before deciding not to hide anymore.

‘’I’ve been feeling extremely sad lately...’’ Raven started off slowly, but Garfield gave her an encouraging nod so she continued. ‘’At first, I didn’t know why, I thought it was a sign that my father was coming back and it scared me. But when I took the time to actually think about my emotions, I realised I was feeling sad because of regret.’’ Raven felt a sudden surge of confidence as she continued talking. ‘’I’ve been running from it ever since I defeated Trigon but I’ve been regretting the fact that I’ve had to keep a rein on my emotions all these years. I’ve never been able to experience all the emotions you guys do... I haven’t been living life to the fullest.’’

Raven paused so Garfield took a chance and asked her another question. ‘’Do you know what you regret?’’

She remained silent for a while, as if looking back at her life and analyzing every single detail. ‘’I regret not laughing at your jokes more often,’’ she finally told him.

This took him by surprise. Garfield was definitely not expecting that answer. All he could do was give her a goofy-looking smile as he rubbed the back of his head. 

She replied by giving him a small, sad smile. But it was a smile nonetheless and Garfield couldn’t get enough of it. He had worked all these years to be able to see her smile as often as he could. 

After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, Raven continued talking. ‘’My emotions got worse when Dick and Kory left for Gotham. I guess it just hit me... I’ve never felt the kind of happiness and love they were both radiating... And I don’t think I ever will. I can’t afford to act like that, I don’t know the consequences.’’

Garfield listened carefully, not breaking his eye contact as he listened to Raven’s concerns. She seemed mad, sad and panicked. He had never seen her like this before, so lost, defeated and not in control.

Garfield realised with a start that she had stopped talking and seemed to be looking at him as if trying to find a miracle answer or solution. He didn’t want to disappoint her but he also didn’t know how to help. He had never experienced something like this. Every fiber of his being screamed to tell a joke, lighten the mood to get her to stop worrying. But she deserved so much more than that. 

Finally, making up his mind, Garfield took in a deep breath to try and calm his own nerves. This action seemed to confuse Raven, she quirked her eyebrow in his direction but he didn’t let that stop him. It had to be said. ‘’Rae, when are we going to stop dancing?’’

Raven was taken aback by his question? Had he even been listening to what she had said? She had shared one of her deepest secrets and insecurities with him and he had spent that time planning a joke? She opened her mouth to start yelling at him when Garfield promptly interrupted her. 

‘’When are we going to stop dancing around the fact that we are Dick and Kory?’’ He stopped himself, that sounded wrong. ‘’I mean that we have what Dick and Kory have. Okay, it’s obviously different, we’re not dating and haven’t been chasing after each other for years, but I think we have something. I mean I’ve loved you for a long time, I’ve never been good at hiding it. I think and hope that you may have some sort of feelings for me too,’’ he told her. 

Raven’s mouth still hung open in surprise but he had already engaged in this stupid declaration so he might as well continue. ‘’I’ve kept my distance all these years, first because I thought you actually hated me but then I understood that you needed to keep a check on your emotions. After that, it was because you needed to discover who you were and what life could be for you after Trigon’s death.’’

Garfield wasn’t sure if he had done this properly. He had watched way too many movies over the years with Cyborg and Starfire to know that the big declaration of love wasn’t supposed to be as messy as his had just been. He was, after all, the king of goofing things up, even when he wanted to be serious. He had to try and fix this. He felt like he had just complained to Raven about her not realising his love for her instead of trying to tell her that he understood and just wanted her to be happy and comfortable. 

‘’Look, I don’t know if that made any sense,’’ he chuckled nervously. ‘’I just want you to know that I’ve known you for a while and I’ve seen everything you’ve had to go through. If anyone deserves happiness and a chance to feel love, real love, it’s you Rae.’’

‘’Gar...’’ Raven finally spoke up. She seemed to have tears forming in her eyes once again. ‘’You don’t know that...’’ she started protesting.

‘’Yes, I do.’’ Garfield said, gently grabbing one of her hands. ‘’You’re allowed to feel things, you deserve that much. And you’ll never know what you’re missing out on if you never give it a try. You said that you felt like you were missing out on experiencing love like Star and Dick do, so try it, with whoever, whenever! But if you don’t, you’ll never know and you’ll regret it.’’

Raven couldn’t believe what she was hearing. For the first time in his life, the green idiot was actually making sense. And worse of all, he was right. Garfield had struck a nerve when he openly declared his love for her just seconds ago. She knew he had feelings for her, she had thought it was just a silly crush that would disappear once he found out who she really was. But again, she was surprised when he became even more understanding, caring and supportive. Deep down, she had known and she had started feeling the same kind of feelings for him as well, but she didn’t feel like she deserved his love and happiness. She could never give him what he needed and deserved in a relationship. But he was right, she needed to try and for him, she would do it. 

Garfield sat waiting for an answering. Raven had been awfully quiet for too long. She hadn’t swatted his hand away yet which was also concerning. He had finally done it, he had messed it up and crossed a line with Raven. Would their friendship be able to recover? 

Suddenly, Raven moved her hand out of Garfield’s grasp, he was sure she was going to slap him. Instead, she gently placed her hand on the back of his neck, bringing his face closer to hers. It took a second to register what was happening, but Garfield was quick to shake his surprise as he kissed her back, his own hands cupping her face. 

He wasn’t sure for how long their kiss lasted. But as they finally separated Garfield was sure of one thing. As Raven blushed and gave him a small, happy smile, he knew that their friendship would be able to recover and maybe, blossom into something else. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Take care!


End file.
